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Could we "terraform" Mars —that is, change its frozen, thin-aired surface into something more friendly and Earthlike? Should we? The first question has a clear answer: Yes, we probably could．Spacecraft, including the ones now exploring Mars, have found evidence that it was warm in its youth, with rivers flowing into vast seas．And right here on Earth, we've learned how to warm a planet: just add greenhouse gases to its atmosphere．Much of the CO2 that once warmed Mars is probably still there, in frozen dirt and polar ice caps, and so is the water．
Most of the work in terraforming, says NASA scientist Chris Mackay, would be done by life itself． "You don't build Mars," Mackay says．"You just warm it up and throw some seeds．" Powerful greenhouse gases could be produced from elements in dirt and air on Mars and blown into the atmosphere; by warming the planet, they would release the frozen CO2, which would quicken the warming and increase atmospheric pressure to the point where liquid water could flow．Meanwhile, says botanist James Graham of the University of Wisconsin, human settlers could seed the red rock with a succession （系列） of ecosystems ?first bacteria and lichens （地衣）, which survive in Antarctica, later mosses （苔藓）, and after one thousand years or so, redwoods．Getting breathable oxygen levels out of those forests, though, could take thousands of years．
However, Mars is in no immediate danger．Some space scientists recently recommended going to the moon or an asteroid （小行星） first, and pointed out the space agency lacks the funds to go anywhere．It didn't estimate the cost of gardening a dead planet．
72．What is the most essential to make Mars fit for living?
A．Turn ice into flowing water． B．Clean the dirty atmosphere．
C．Make the atmosphere more suitable． D．Go to the moon or an asteroid first．
73．What does the author think of the idea ofterraforming Mars?
A．We could do it． B．We couldn't do it．
C．We should do it． D．We shouldn't do it．
74．In the botanist's opinion, man needs to __________.
A．enable Mars to clean its atmosphere
B．build a greenhouse on Mars
C．send some people to settle on Mars
D．cultivate ecosystems from lower to higher life form
75．What is the best title for the passage?
A．Making Mars the New Earth． B．A Good Way to Change the Universe
C．Humans' Great Power． D．Terrible Science and Technology．
Wildlife faces threats ( 威胁 ) from habitat destruction, pollution, and other human actions. Although protecting wildlife may seem too hard at times, even small actions in your own neighbourhood can help protect many different animals. Here are some tips on how to protect wildlife through small actions.
1.Create wildlife friendly areas in your backyard.
When trying to make your garden more beautiful , you can choose plants that can provide food and shelter to native wildlife . This will also help cut down on pollution . Add bird or bat houses to your yard or garden to attract and shelter these species.
2. Avoid harming the natural ecosystem ( 生态系统 ) in your area.
Some plants from other places can kill or harm native plants that provide food and shelter for wildlife.
3. ________________________________________________.
By using less water and fewer fuels, you will be helping to protect the wildlife around you . Take buses or the subway when you can, turn off electric devices when you’re not using them , take shorter shower, and keep your room temperature at or below 68 degrees during the winter.
4. Buy products that are wildlife friendly
Don’t buy products that are made from endangered animals. Keep in mind that some endangered animals are killed by traps , catches or hunters who are after other wildlife within the same habitat.
5. Donate money or time to organizations that protect wildlife and their habitats.
You can give money to organization or groups that protect wildlife species in your neighborhood.We infer that the purpose of this passage is to ________.
| A．tell us why protecting wildlife is extremely important now |
| B．suggest that we protect wildlife through actions |
| C．explain why protecting wildlife is not as hard as people think. |
| D．give us some tips on how to protect wildlife through small actions |
Which of the following threats to wildlife is NOT mentioned in the passage ?
| A．Animal diseases | B．Loss of habitat |
| C．Pollution | D．Hunters |
What’s the best title for the third point ?
| A．Have a greener lifestyle. |
| B．Use less water and fewer fuels. |
| C．Take a bus when you go out . |
| D．Try a new kind of life. |
In which section of a newspaper would you most probably read this passage ?
| A．Environment | B．Teaching |
| C．Business | D．Geography |
For most kids, height isn’t something they can change, so what do you do if you don’t like how tall or short you are? It might be girls feeling too tall and boys feeling too short but some really tall boys might not like all that height and some shorter girls might get tired of all the jokes or of feeling like they’re staying little while their friends are growing up.
If you are still worried about your height, talk to your parents and your doctor. Most kids don’t have a growth problem that needs help from a doctor, but it’s always OK to ask if you’re concerned.
So for most kids, it seems like there’s not much to do but wait to see how it all turns out. But you can do something right now: eat healthy and take care of yourself. If you get the nutrition(营养), sleep, and exercise you need, you’re likely to reach your maximum height. In other words, you’ll grow as tall as you were meant to grow.
And even though you may hear people say it, taking extra vitamins or supplements(补品) that you can buy in a store won’t help you get taller. Just stick to a healthy diet if you want to be the tallest you can be!
Kids who wish they weren’t so tall should still eat healthy and take care of themselves, of course. Eating less won’t make you end up any shorter unless you really starved yourself and made yourself sick.
As they get older, most kids learn to feel comfortable with their height, whether they turn out tall, short, or somewhere in between. What is this text mainly about?
| A．Some tips on how to grow taller. |
| B．Some advice on height worries. |
| C．Some problems kids are facing. |
| D．Some factors that affect height. |
If you want to grow taller, you are advised to do the following except _____.
| A．get enough sleep | B．take some exercise |
| C．take extra vitamins | D．get enough nutrition |
We’ll feel comfortable with our height _____.
| A．after we tell the parents |
| B．after we see the doctor |
| C．when we grow taller |
| D．when we get older |
Who does this text written for?
| A．Kids. | B．Parents. | C．Doctors. | D．Teachers |
Florida is celebrating a big anniversary this year. Five hundred years ago, on April 2, 1513, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce arrived on the east coast of what is now Florida. Native Americans had been living there for centuries, but Ponce was the first European to set foot in what would become the United States.
According to legend, Ponce may have landed in Florida by mistake. He is said to have been looking for an island called Bimini and its Fountain(喷泉) of Youth. The magical fountain could supposedly make old people young again. Instead, Ponce landed on Florida and claimed it for Spain. He named it La Florida, or “flowery place”.
Ponce explored more of Florida’s coasts over the next few months. He later returned to Spain but went back to Florida in 1521 to attempt to set up a colony. However, native Americans attacked him and his friends, and Ponce was killed. It wasn’t until 1565 that Spain set up a successful colony at St. Augustine on Florida’s east coast. It is the oldest European settlement in the U.S.
Florida didn’t belong to the U.S. until Spain lost control. It was admitted to the U.S. as the 27th state in 1845.
Today, Florida has one of the fastest-growing populations of any state. More than 19 million people call it home.
It’s also popular with tourists. Last year, 89 million people visited the Sunshine State. These days, most visitors come in search of fun in the sun on its sandy beaches and its theme parks, such as Disney World and Sea World. Five hundred years ago,_____.
| A．the United States was founded |
| B．the first European came to Florida |
| C．Florida was discovered by human beings |
| D．Spanish explorer Juan Ponce was born |
What can we learn about Ponce from Paragraph 2?
| A．He hated Florida |
| B．He discovered Florida by accident |
| C．He finally found Fountain of Youth |
| D．He could make old people young again. |
Ponce was killed_____.
| A．by his friends |
| B．on his way to Florida |
| C．during his second stay in Florida |
| D．after he set up a colony |
Which of the following is TRUE about Florida?
| A．Tourists are losing interest in it. |
| B．Its beaches are not well protected. |
| C．There are 89 million people in Florida at present. |
| D．Its population has been increasing in recent years. |
Volunteer Day schedule:
7:30 a.m.: Meet at the Community Center for breakfast.
8-8:30 a.m.: Visit with people from the many participating organizations. Choose which activity you’d like to help with for the day.
8:30-9 a.m.: Board the bus for your chosen activity, and ride with other volunteers to your activity site.
9-12:00 a.m.: Work as a volunteer.
12:00 a.m.-1 p.m.: Share lunch with your volunteer group. Don’t forget to bring food for lunch from home!
1-3:30 p.m.: Continue your volunteer work.
3:30 p.m.: Board the bus that will take you back to the Community Center, where you will be able to talk with other volunteers and share your experiences.
See below for a list of volunteer opportunities for Volunteer Day so you can begin thinking about which activity you might want to join.
Happy Homes: it provides home repairs for needy people in the form of painting. It also provides painters to create beautiful paintings inside schools of community centers.
Elder Care: Elder Care sends volunteers into nursing homes to spend time with them, play board games with them, and talk with them.
City Parks Association: you can help plant flowers and bushes in city parks or pick up trash around the river banks. These activities are very active, so remember to be prepared with plenty of drinking water!
Love and Learning: it provides volunteers to help children with learning disabilities. Read books out loud to groups of children aged four to six, or read one-on-one with struggling readers aged seven to eight. According to the schedule, how long will a volunteer work a day?
| A．3 hours | B．5.5 hours |
| C．7.5 hours. | D．8 hours. |
To join Happy Homes, one should _____.
| A．be very good at art. |
| B．enjoying talking with people. |
| C．be able to play board games. |
| D．like working with young children. |
For volunteers who enjoy being outside in nature, they can join _____.
| A．Elder Care | B．Happy Homes |
| C．Love and Learning | D．City parks Association |
You may think that an underground town of 3,500 people is something out of a science-fiction film. You may not believe that such a town has shops car parks, hotels, restaurants, cafes and much more. Well, Coober Pedy in Australia is just such a place.
Miners and their families choose to live like this, hoping to get rich looking for the precious stones that Australia is famous for --- opals(蛋白石). Living underground is the only way to be away from the sandstorms and the high temperatures above ground. Deep down in the town far below the desert surface, the temperature is between 19℃ and 20℃ and life is cool.
Mary Deane and her husband Jim are among the lucky ones. They live in a home, built with money from the opals Jim has found. “Whenever people hear we live underground, they always imagine a dusty cave,” says Mary, “but they are amazed at my clean kitchen, our furniture and electrical appliances in here.”
However, not everything is perfect in Coober Pedy. Mary has a tiny garden that she is very proud of, but the grass is not real. Plant life is rare. Water is five times more expensive underground than it is overground. Recycling is a way of life, so Jim usually washes his car with bath water and they have a special system to reuse the water from the dishwasher and washing machine.
Even so, most families enjoy life in Coober Pedy. The children can make as much noise as they want and there are no complaints from the neighbors because the thick walls stop sounds from traveling. Adults enjoy the peace and quiet away from the world above.People in Coober Pedy live underground______.
| A．because of their secret identities |
| B．because it is warmer underground |
| C．so that they can save some money |
| D．due to the terrible natural environment. |
Which word can best describe Mary’s life underground according to Paragraph 3?
| A．Comfortable. | B．Exciting. | C．Healthy. | D．Lonely. |
Which is the biggest problem people in Coober Pedy have to face?
| A．High living expenses. |
| B．The awfully dusty environment. |
| C．Shortage of water and greenery. |
| D．The extremely high temperatures |
Children enjoy the life in Coober Pedy mainly because they _____.
| A．enjoy traveling around with their parents |
| B．can get many expensive toys from their parents |
| C．enjoy the peace and quiet while doing their homework |
| D．can enjoy themselves without disturbing their neighbors[ |